To Cast a Curse
by xxfirebubblesxx
Summary: Previously known as The Exchange. Saki Hanajima was tired of Yuki's fanclub bothering Tohru. She teaches them a little lesson with the help of her cursecasting brother, Megumi. But what happens when one of the curse backfires?
1. Lost in Dreamland

Hi! Kisa-chan will now do the disclamer!

Kisa: Um... Sissy does not own Fruits Basket.

Hiro: Thank God. We can't have an idiot like her controlling our lives.

Kisa: Hiro-chan, that's not nice. Please say sorry to Sissy.

Hiro: (Grumble) Fine. I'm sorry.

YAY! Sa-chan saves the day! Talk about girl power! OK! On with the story!

**Chapter 1: Lost in Dreamland**

"Good morning Tohru." said Saki Hanajima.

"Good morning, Hana-chan." yawned Tohru.

"Hey Tohru, are those guys overworking you?" asked Arisa Uotoni jabbing a thumb toward Yuki and Kyo, who were in the middle of a heated argument.

"EH? No, of course not! I'm really grateful that they let me live with them, I have to work more, not less!" Tohru yawned again. "Alright then," shrugged Uo. "Just take care of yourself and don't fall asleep in class."

"O-(yawn)-k"

Nobody noticed a small frown crossed Saki's normally bland features as she stared worriedly at her friend.

Later

Saki's mental frown increased during the day. Tohru looked really tired with the dark bags under her eyes and her constant stifled yawns during class. By lunchtime, even Kyo had noticed.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Torhu's head, which had been drooping, suddenly rose up.

"Huh? Oh yes Kyo-kun. I'm ok."

Nobody was convinced when she said that, but Yuki said "Then let's go eat lunch with Momiji and Haru, all right Honda-san?"

"All right."

After school, Saki hurried home to find her brother. Lunch was a disaster, with Tohru nearly falling asleep six times and almost collapsing onto the food. The rest of the day wasn't any better, since the Prince Yuki fan-club girls kept tormenting poor Tohru. Uo had threatened to beat them up while Saki had spent a lot of time zapping them all with her denpa waves, but she knew those girls wouldn't learn, unless...

She peeked into her brother's room. "Megumi. Could you cast two curses for me?"

"Yes..." After outlining her plan to Megumi, Saki called Tohru.

"Hello Tohru. Could you come over to my house to pick something up?"

"Ok, Hana-chan."

After hanging up, Megumi walked downstairs with a cup of pink liquid.

"Sister? Tohru's potion is ready."

"Good. Put it in a glass bottle and give it to me."

A/N: Dun-dun-dun! What will happen next? Review to find out! If anybody can create a better name for this story, plz tell me!

Ja ne!

xxfirebubblesxx


	2. Uh oh

**Chapter 2: Uh-oh**

Tohru was thrilled when Hana-chan gave her the potion! She said it was guaranteed to give the person good dreams. Tohru planned to use it tonight, since she already took a nap after school. She slipped the glass bottle into her pocket, overjoyed that she has such loving friends.

"Honda-san? Would you like to work on the secret base with me?"

"Sure, Yuki-kun!"

The phone rang. Tohru ran over and picked it up. "Moshi moshi? Hi Uo-chan!" Yuki waited patiently as the two girls made plans to go shopping with Hanajima-san tomorrow.

At Hana-chan's house

"Uh-oh." Megumi muttered. He had just finished casting the curse over all the members of the Prince Yuki fan club and was going back over Tohru's sweet dreams potion.

"Sister? There was a mistake in Honda-san's potion."

"WHAT?!" Saki slammed his bedroom door open, causing him to jump. "The potion is very unstable, since I skipped over step 28."

"What will happen to her?" Saki asked worriedly. Megumi stared. This was very unlike his sister. Usually she didn't show much emotion at all. "Well, it will either do nothing," -here he saw Saki relax- "or it will turn into some other curse--an unpleasant one. I would call Honda-san and tell her to not use the potion." Saki hurried to the phone and dialed the Sohma's phone number. The line was busy, so she hung up and waited.

At Shigure's house

Tohru said good-bye to Uo and went to the secret base with Yuki. They worked in compatible silence for a while until Yuki asked for the shovel. Tohru stood up and walked over to give it to him until she tripped on a tree root jutting out from the ground.

"AHH!" she yelped as she fell. The bottle flew out of her pocket as Yuki ran toward her.

"Honda-san? Are you ok?"

Suddenly the glass bottle landed and smashed against the ground. The pink liquid splashed onto both of them. It had a unique fragrance, like vanilla and peaches with a hint of cinnamon. Simultaneously, they felt dizzy and uncoordinated. Out of the corner of her eye, Tohru saw Yuki stagger and drop to the ground with a soft thump. "Y-yuki k-kun?" she asked, her speech slurred. The darkness overwhelmed her and Tohru dropped to the ground next to Yuki.

At Hana-chan's house

"Pick up. Please pick up!" Saki muttered to herself. Even though she dialed many times, nobody picked up. Little did she know Kyo was on the roof, Shigure was hiding from his editor, and Yuki and Tohru were unconscious at their secret base. "It's no use." Megumi stated. "You'll see her tomorrow when the three of you go shopping." Saki hung up and prayed that Tohru be all right.

At the secret base

Tohru stirred and moaned. Her head hurt and her leg felt numb. Sitting up, she looked around for Yuki. Her eyes landed on something and she froze. "AAAHHHHHH!"

* * *

A/N: So? How was it? Sorry if this chapter sucks...

What happened to them?

Please R&R so i can get iNsPiReD:D

xxfirebubblesxx


	3. Confusion & Embarrassment

Disclamer- I do not own Fruits Basket. XP

**Chapter 3:** **Confusion & Embarrassment**

Yuki stirred. Why was someone yelling at his ears? He had a headache already and this screaming was not making it better. He raised his head a saw an extraordinary sight. Himself screaming his head off. Tohru screamed even louder when she saw herself sit up and stare at her, gaping.

"Stop it." Her mouth snapped shut when she heard this person that looked like her say something. "Y-you sound just like me." Tohru croaked. When she said that her eyes widened. Oh. My. God. I sound just like...

"Yuki-kun?"

"Honda-san?" Yuki saw his eyes grow large and hyperventilate. "Honda-san! Stop or else you'll have an asthma attack. My lungs are weaker than yours, remember?" Tohru calmed down relatively and asked, "How did this happen?"

"I don' know. What time is it?"

"Eh?! It's dinnertime! We have to get back!"

"But we can't tell anyone that we switched bodies. It's for the best." Tohru wavered and agreed. She tried to stand up, but wobbled. _Huh. Yuki does have a differently built body. I guess I?�m just not used to it._ Tohru watched Yuki struggle to stand up and topple forward, not accustomed to Tohru's weight. She staggered forward to help Yuki, but suddenly_-Poof !-_got turned into a rat! "Eep!" she shrieked. The feeling was incredibly strange, like shrinking.

Yuki picked her up and said, "It's a weird feeling, I know. You'll change back soon. The strangest thing for me is not transforming." Right after he said that, she changed back. Yuki turned around to give her some privacy. Tohru turned a fantastic shade of red as she struggled with Yuki's clothes trying not to touch anything -ahem- down there. (A/N: Poor Tohru! ) When she finally struggled into the foreign clothes, Yuki turned around and saw his face a dark red. He was amazed; he didn't know his pale skin could turn that scarlet. "All right then, Ho- er, Yuki-kun. Let's go home." Yuki smiled jokingly at Tohru in an attempt to calm her down. She gave him a weak smile and said "Of course, Honda-san."

* * *

At Shigure's house

"Tohruuuu! What took you so long? I'm hungry." Shigure pouted. "I hope Yuki-kun didn't do anything perverted at your love nest!" he snickered, waiting for Tohru's embarrassed reaction and Yuki to pummel him to the ground.

"Of course not, Shigure-san!" Yuki smiled through gritted teeth and an anger mark on Torhu's head. The novelist blinked. This wasn't the reaction he was hoping for. Now it looked like Yuki (really Tohru) was trying not to blush and Tohru (really Yuki) wanted to pile-drive him until he was no more. Interesting.

"Well, Tohru, don't you think you should serve dinner? We're hungry!"

_Uh-oh._ Yuki panicked. He didn't know how to make food that was actually edible! Then Tohru said, "It's lucky you already prepared dinner before we left, **isn't it, **Honda-san?" Yuki relaxed. Dinner was already done; he just had to serve it.

"Sure, Yuki-kun!" he smiled, trying to imitate Torhu's happy grin. "I'll call that stu- er, Kyo-kun." Dinner passed uneventfully, to Tohru's and Yuki's relief. After they finished eating, they sat around the table drinking tea. Shigure came out of the bathroom, a towel around his neck. "Who's next? Tohru? Yuki?" Both of them nearly choked on the tea and their faces became red.

_Oh my god! It's bad enough I had to nearly see Yuki's body once! I don't want to see it again! _

_Arg! Tohru's body...I don't want to! _

"Torhu? Do you want to go next???Yuki knew Shigure would be suspicious if he refused. "Ahh...ok" Yuki stood up and went to get Tohru's pajamas and plodded to the bathroom. "Hey, Tohru. Are you ok? You look like you're going to your own execution." Yuki looked up into the worried reddish-brown eyes of the cat's. It was unnerving to be shorter than him! "Huh? I'm ok."

After shutting the bathroom door, he contemplated about washing with clothes on. _Nah._ Still, he couldn't help but feel rude, like he was invading Tohru's privacy. He grimaced, then quickly took Tohru's yellow blouse and pink skirt off, blushing a dark red. After those were off, he glanced down.

_Damn. I forgot about underwear. What the heck. I'll just keep them on._ After Yuki's **very** short bath, he peeked outside. After noticing Shigure was in his study and Kyo on the roof, he whispered, "Honda-san?" Immediately, she popped up. Yuki still couldn't help but think all the actions she usually did looked funny on his body.

"Yes Yuki-kun?"

Tohru saw her face turn a VERY dark scarlet. "U-um??could you h-help me?" Being the naïve person she was, Torhu chirped, "Of course!" Yuki pulled her into the bathroom; it wasn't a good idea to ask out in the open. He gestured helplessly toward the soaking wet undergarments he had on. "I don't know how to..."

Torhu laughed quietly, then louder, causing Yuki's embarrassed flush to grow even darker. _Oh, poor Yuki-kun. He's such a gentleman, washing with underwear on! XD_

"O-of course Y-yuki-kun!" she managed to sputter out before laughing again.

* * *

A/N: The bathroom scene...not something I usually write...call it a temporary fit of insanity. -.-V Sorry if it offended somebody! I might have to move rating up. Look forward to the next chapter!

xxfirebubblesxx


	4. Kitty Gets Suspicious

Disclaimer: See previous chapters

**Chapter 4: Kitty Gets Suspicious **

Kyo twitched. His sensitive ears heard laughter. And not just anybody's laughter. It sounded like...Yuki's! He didn't know the girly-boy could smile, let alone laugh!

Climbing off the roof, Kyo snuck back inside via the open window from his room. Prowling down the hallway, he stopped in front of the bathroom door. Without thinking, he barged in. (A/N: Typical Kyo... -.-;)

"Alright, what's going—WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" screamed an shocked Kyo.

Indeed, he had a right to scream. Seeing your mortal enemy touching your barely decent crush would make you freak out just a bit. They stared wide-eyed back at him, both turning red rapidly, but not for the reason Kyo thought. Tohru was worrying, _Oh, this must look really bad. Poor Kyo! _While Yuki thought along the lines of: _The pervert is going to see Honda-san's body! _They were shaken back to reality when Kyo's fist flew— straight towards Yuki's (really Tohru) face! Tohru slammed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the impact, but it never came. Opening her eyes, she saw Kyo's surprised expression when Yuki caught his fist, and twisted it. The shock was immediately replaced by pain. Suddenly, he wavered and crashed to the ground. The reason was immediately known when she noticed Yuki standing behind where Kyo was a moment ago.

"Yuki-kun! You knocked him out," gasped Tohru, kneeling by the cat's side.

"Um. There was no other way," sighed Yuki, running a hand through Tohru's wet brown hair. "I'll take him upstairs now."

The entire day, Yuki had encountered unique problems: turning into Tohru, changing genders, and trying not to let anyone know he was Yuki. Now, even knocking out the stupid cat was comforting, since it was _familiar. _Pulling Kyo up, he was ready to carry him away when he suddenly transformed into a orange kitten. Yuki was startled, but thankfully, the cat didn't wake up. Tohru smiled, then whispered, "It's time for bed anyways," while gathering up Kyo's clothes. Then, they trooped upstairs, tucked Kyo in (Aww… :D), then went into their own rooms, despite them changing bodies.

"Goodnight, Yuki-kun."

"Goodnight, Honda-san. I promise we'll figure this out."

* * *

The next morning, Kyo woke up and prowled downstairs (A/N- like a cat! X3) ready for breakfast made by Tohru. To his surprise, he found Yuki instead of the riceball. 

"Damn rat, what the hell are you doing up this early?" glared Kyo, remebering last night.

"Eh?" _Wait, that's right, we switched bodies._ Tohru frantically racked her mind to think of what Yuki would say.

"A-ah..." stammered Tohru intelligently. _Oh no! Yuki-kun doesn't wake up this early! What was I thinking? _Tohru was saved from having to answer by the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Into the kitchen stumbled a zombie-like Yuki. Kyo and Tohru stared as he made his way blearily through the kitchen and toward the dining room (A/N- you know, the place in the anime and manga with the kotastu and TV?)

"Hey, Tohru?" Kyo tentatively placed his hand on the shoulder he thought was Tohru's. Yuki whipped around and slammed Kyo to the ground. _EH?! This is not good! _

_"_Huh?" Yuki woke up to a hyperventilating Tohru and a beaten-up Kyo. Immediately, he knew what happened. Even though he was in Tohru's body, he still had the same reflexes.

"Oh Kyo! I'm so sorry!" Yuki babbled, praying that the stupid cat would buy the act.

"I-it's ok. Jeez, where in the world did you learn how to do that move?" Tohru and Yuki let out a relieved sigh in their minds as they thanked God Kyo didn't think anything was out of the ordinary. Unknown to them, the cat's mind was working furiously. _What the hell was that?! Tohru's acting like the damn rat, and vice versa! Something's going on here and I'm gonna find out what it is!_

"Tohruuuu! Phone for you," Shigure sing-songed. Yuki got up and padded to the hallway, leaving the suspicious Kyo and the nervous Tohru. They sat silently eating their breakfast of bread with jam (since Yuki could only make that without blowing up the kitchen) while Shigure came in and babbled happily to them. Kyo was ignoring him as always while Tohru was desperately trying to imitate Yuki's cool demeanor; but the harder she tried, the more miserably she failed. Yuki, on the phone with Tohru's friends, was not doing any better.

"So Tohru, how are you this morning?" questioned Uo.

"Um...fine," Yuki mumbled.

"Tohru? Are you feeling all right?" asked Hana anxiously.

_Besides the fact I'm not Tohru, no_. "Eh...sure."

"Ok. We'll come and pick you up in ten minutes. Are you prepared?" Uo asked.

Yuki looked at himself. Somehow, he dressed while he was sleeping. "...Yes."

"All right! See ya."

"Good-bye."

Yuki hung up and started worrying._ What were they going to do today? I think I better ask Honda-san to come along._

Picking up the phone again, Yuki pressed the redial button and waited. After two rings Hana picked up.

"Hello?"

Yuki composed himself. "Hey Hana! Can I bring Yuki-kun along?"

There was a agonizing pause. Yuki hoped she wasn't going to ask why. Finally, she replied.

"Yes."

"Great! See you and Uo soon!" Yuki hung up and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, then wandered back into the kitchen to tell Tohru the news.

_Thankfully I'm good at acting._

* * *

A/N: Yay! Chapter 4 is up! I finally found a computer with internet access! I'm visiting my relatives, and it's hot here. 

So please review to make this mosquito-bitten, heat-stricken, cockroach-hating writer feel better! XD

Ja ne!

Mimi-chan

xxfirebubblesxx


	5. Snarklings

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

**Chapter 5: Snarklings**

Yuki called, "Hon-er, Yuki-kun, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure, Honda-san!"

While Yuki frantically whispered the dilemma to Tohru in the hallway, Kyo and Shigure were staring at their backs intensely.

"So, Kyon-kyon. What were you screaming about yesterday?"

"I said, don't call me that! Did you know what that damn rat was doing to Tohru yesterday? That scumbag was feeling her up!" And then he proceeded to tell Shigure the story, adding some unprintable adjectives about Yuki with relish. Shigure listened with fascination, only interrupting to ask a couple of questions here and there. After Kyo was done with his tale of woe, Shigure leaned back and sighed. "Well, Kyon-kyon, what we have here is love!"

"Don't call me-wait. WHAT?!? L-l-l-ov-ve?!?"

"Dear me. We must get Hatori to check that terrible stutter of yours."

"Shadup! Stop yanking my chain!" _Tohru l-l-oves that damn rat? I...I guess I'm too late. So what else is new?_

After seeing the death look on Kyo's face, the dog faltered, "In romance novels like my own, the hero always fights to the end for his lover, so that's what you should too!"

Kyo suddenly stood up, and for once in his life, Shigure thought he was actually going to take his advice!

He opened his mouth, and...

...started cursing.

Shigure fell to the ground anime style, leg up and twitching.

Suddenly, Kyo jumped up and yelled, "Dammit Tohru, I'll go wherever you're going too!"

The three of them stared astonished at the now-blushing cat. "Aw, I meant...if you...FINE! If ya don't want me to go wherever it is you're going, fine." And he plopped down again, starring sullenly at Shigure.

Yuki and Tohru stared again, then whispered frantically between themselves. Then Tohru said, "Of course Kyo-kun can come! Yuki-kun is coming too. We're going...shopping."

Kyo wrinkled his nose in disgust, but remembered he wasn't going to give Yuki any more chances to get closer to Tohru.

"Fine. We're going now?"

"As soon as Hanaji- I mean, _**Hana**_ comes, then yes."

After Yuki said that, they heard the door slide open and Arisa yell, "Hey Tohru! We're here!"

"Speak of the devil," muttered Kyo.

"WHAT? Who're you calling devil, Kyon-kyon? I mean, honestly! Look who's talking."

While Kyo and Uo were having their little argument, Hana examined Tohru with a razor sharp eye. She didn't seem to have fangs and claws, or have nasty boils all over her.

"Tohru? Turn around," Hana commanded.

As soon as the words left her lips, she noticed something _verrry _interesting. Yuki seemed to shuffle a bit before stopping, and Tohru's reaction time was delayed.

As soon as Tohru turned around, Hana examined her back. No leathery wings were curled behind her, nor was there a furry tail poking out from under her skirt. She seemed to be all right. Did she not use her potion after all?

"Tohru, did you use the Sweet Dreams potion?"

Yuki looked at Tohru with surprise. _Potion? From Hanajima-san? _

Tohru however, knew exactly what Hana was talking about, but she couldn't tell Yuki with Hana's sharp eye watching them! So the two of them fidgeted and tried to think of a solution. Thankfully, Uo reminded that their taxi was still loitering outside, and they better get a move on. So the five of them hurried outside, Tohru grabbing her purse with her savings inside and passing it to Yuki secretly.

Once outside, there was another dilemma. The taxi had only four seats (not including the driver seat where the driver was impatiently waiting), so they were going to have to squish. Uo and Hana slid into the back seats, and then Kyo claimed the front seat, leaving Tohru and Yuki to discreetly squish in last. While they were driving to the mall, Hana browsed through the catalog and Uo chattered on about the sales over Hana's shoulder.

When they finally arrived, Uo paid for the fare, complaining about how high it was and the driver snapping back about how long they had made him wait. After the taxi sped off and Uo stopped swearing, she linked arms with Hana and Yuki (who looked like Tohru) and exclaimed, "Let's hit the stores! Prince, Orangey, hurry it up, willya?" And so the five of them hit the stores.

* * *

"Hana, you have to try this on," announced Uo excitedly, holding up something blue and velvety-looking. Upon closer examination, they realized it was a doll-like velvet dress in a gorgeous shade of midnight blue with black lace criss-crossing the front. "Tohru, don't you think so?" 

"Um..." stalled Yuki. Truthfully, the store they were currently in bothered him just a tad. The real Tohru had a somewhat frightened expression on, and the loud music was making Kyo edgy. Only Hana and Uo seemed unaffected being in the midst of Snarklings, a store that Hana frequently shopped in. The walls were a rich shade of violet and the customers looked like they belonged in a dark room, penning angsty poetry by candlelight. Dim lighting, strange music, and black velvet curtains completed the store. There was obviously some kind of gothic velvet-and-lace theme going on.

Yuki finally replied, "Hana would look wonderful in it."

Hana plucked it out of Uo's grasp and examined it critically.

"It's quite lovely. I'll take it."

"All right!" grinned Uo. "Look! They're having a sale on cloaks!"

While Uo and Hana pulled Yuki off to examine more clothes, Tohru inched away nervously from a pale woman, dressed completely in black, from the tip of her hat all the way down to her Victorian-style boots. "Excuse me, do you happen to know where I could find the cloaks? Once velvet becomes water-spotted, there are very few ways to fix it. Extremely sad, I must say."

Surprised, Tohru pointed in the direction her friends went to.

"Thank you, dear," smiled the woman, swishing off to the section.

"Kyo-kun, do you think we should go to find them?" asked Tohru innocently. When there wasn't any answer, she turned around and saw Kyo staring slack-jawed at her.

"Nani? You didn't call me stupid cat, but Kyo-KUN?"

Remembering that she was in Yuki's body, Tohru smacked herself inwardly for being so forgetful. "Er...yes?"

Kyo examined her suspiciously, eyes darting from Yuki's immaculate shoes to the usual Chinese-styled shirt to the silvery-gray mess that Yuki called his hair.

_Hmm... I can't see anything different. But he's behaving like Tohru!_

The cat snuck a glance at who he thought was Tohru. Uo and Hana were trying to force "her" to wear a slinky blue slip trimmed with eyelet lace.

Looking back at "Yuki," he whispered, "Tohru?"

* * *

A/N: Wahh...I'm so sorry for not updating in a long time! Called this chapter Snarklings after the store they're in because I couldn't think of a better title. As far as I know of, there is no store called Snarklings out there, so sorry to disapoint. However, I got all my gothic info and inspiration from the Lady of Manners's website, http:// www. gothic-charm-school. com/ (Remove spaces) It's totally awesome! Visit it, even if you're not a goth! (I'm not one either...) FYI, snarklings is a term from the Lady of Manners meaning half snarky and half darlings. It's one of my favorite words now!

I'm starting to read Hana-Kimi, by Hisaya Nakajo. I'm on the 3rd volume and it's totally awesome! 3

The next story I'll be updating is probably Operation Host!

Also, I was thinking on adding another chapter to Rin's Broken Dreams because the ending isn't all that satisfactory to RinxHaru fans.

Extra little tidbit: Who's going to be watching High School Musical 2? It's coming out on Aug. 17th! Three more days! Squeal!

Please R&R so I can get iNsPiReD!

All right, ja ne, my little snarklings : )

Mimi-chan

xxfirebubblesxx


	6. The Secret's Out!

Disclaimer: I own Fruits Basket?! Haha! You make me laugh.

**Chapter 6: The Secret's Out!**

Uo sighed as she plopped down on the plastic bench, taking a big gulp from her water bottle. "Whew. That was tiring, wasn't it?"

Hana nodded while slowly eating her leek riceball. "Quite. Tohru, you didn't really buy much, did you?"

Startled, Yuki stared nervously at Hana, wondering if she suspected anything. "Um, I guess I didn't see anything I really liked?" he said, noticing that his voice lilted upwards at the end and made it sound like a question.

"Hmm." Turning to Kyo, who was watching the leek riceball disappear slowly in horrid fascination, she said, "Is there anything wrong?"

Kyo blushed, looked away, and grunted, "N-no."

"Hmm..." She popped the last bit into her mouth, chewing slowly and thoughtfully. Brushing imaginary grains of rice from her skirt, she turned to Yuki. "Tohru, you never did answer my question: did you use the potion I gave you yesterday?"

Tohru and Yuki froze. Between running around to different stores and being dressed up in fifty different outfits, they never had any time to go over what they would say. Tohru bit her lip and pleaded silently with Yuki to let her tell the truth. Her reply was a helpless shrug that said, "We might as well."

"Um..." All heads turned from the nervous Yuki to the equally nervous Tohru.

"What is it, Prince? Spit it out," commanded Uo. "You're interrupting Tohru."

Tohru smiled shakily and whispered, "Actually, Uo-chan, I-I am Tohru."

They were stunned speechless for a moment, then Uo gasped, "My God. I knew it. Prince finally fell off the deep end."

"No. Honda-san is Honda-san. And I am actually Yuki." Every gaped at Yuki, who was emanating a calm aura totally unlike Tohru's usually ditzy self. Kyo jumped up and started sputtering, "Tohru is the damn rat and the damn rat is T-tohru?!"

Crossing his arms and leaning back slightly, Yuki snorted, "It isn't that hard to understand, stupid cat." Once again, they all stared slack-jawed at Yuki. They all knew it was Yuki insulting Kyo, but seeing him do it in Tohru? s body was quite...strange. Shigure had once said, "Ah, the day I stop playing tricks on my poor editor is the day Tohru-kun starts insulting people." Well, Shigure should finish his manuscript and meekly send it to Mii-chan now, since "Tohru" not only insulted Kyo and doubted his intelligence, "she" had enjoyed "herself" too!

Hana sighed, "This is quite regretful. When did this happen?"

Tohru said, "Yesterday. Oh Hana, do you know how to fix this?" Pursing her lips, Hana said, "Maybe. Did you use the Sweet Dreams potion?" When Tohru gave her a blank look, she changed tactics. "Did it get onto yourself and Sohma-kun over here?"

As Tohru was about to answer, Yuki cut in. "Actually, what happened right before we passed out?"

Scrunching her eyebrows together, Tohru murmured, "I...I think we were at the secret base, right?"

"What happened next?"

It was difficult to remember...it was a blur of events flashing through her mind, but she managed to cling onto one thought and straighten it out.

"I tripped on something!" As soon as she voiced that memory, they rushed back to her in a flood, drowning her with details that she missed before. It had all been suppressed and the tension was so great it finally exploded. She couldn't talk fast enough! "And Yuki-kun ran towards me, right? And then, there was this really sweet yummy smell!"

Yuki added, "I think there was cinnamon."

Nodding rapidly, Tohru continued on with her story. "Then we felt really dizzy and I think we fainted, right?" Without pausing for his confirmation, she rattled on. "And when we woke up, we were like this."

Hana stood up abruptly, crinkling up her riceball wrapper. They all looked uncertainly up at her. "We must go. Quickly." With that ominous comment in mind, they exchanged uneasy looks and followed Hana's lead, standing up and throwing away the remains of their lunch. Without even looking, Hana threw the wrapper cleanly into the trashcan and ran to the edge of the street, waving down a taxi. All five of them piled in, Kyo and Tohru taking care not to fall and transform. Hana told the driver her home address, then tried to relax during the ride, but she was impatient and even paler than usual.

Everyone could sense there was definitely something wrong here.

The taxi had dropped them off in front of Hana's relatively normal-looking house. While Uo was--once again--paying for the ride and mumbling about how the driver had purposely taken the longer route, Hana had quickly ushered the rest of them into her bedroom. She waited for Uo to start climbing the stairs before knocking on what seemed like an ordinary sliding door. To Yuki and Kyo's surprise, the closet door slid open and a boy came out, blinking in the bright light. Upon closer inspection, they realized that he looked exactly like a smaller version of Hana, only decidedly male.

"Hello sister. I see you've brought friends over." Nodding politely to Uo and Tohru, he continued, "However, I have never seen these people before." Yuki and Kyo felt shivers running up and down their spines as the Hanajima siblings gazed at them. The two Sohma boys suddenly realized it was a truly terrifying experience to have both of them stare at you.

"These are the people Tohru is staying with," explained Hana; however, she did not immediately tell her brother what was wrong, instead, opting the choice for him to figure it out by himself.

"Hmm...Tohru-san, you don? t look well," said Megumi, placing a hand on Yuki's arm. His touch was cool, and Yuki was startled when Megumi suddenly withdrew his hand, eyes wide with surprise.

Turning to Hana, he declared, "This person is not Tohru-san. Do you want me to exorcise it?"

Happy that Megumi had realized, Hana then proceeded to tell him the entire story, with Tohru and Yuki adding details at times. Megumi absorbed this information with a quiet interest.

"...and now they are stuck like this and we were wondering if you could help," finished Hana.

Kyo was slack-jawed after hearing the entire story. _So that's why they seemed so close yesterday! Maybe she doesn't love him!_ Ecstatic at this conclusion, Kyo realized something very important. "Damn rat!" he shouted, waving his fist at a surprised Yuki. "You took a bath yesterday, didn't you?" Before Yuki could reply, Uo loomed over him menacingly, pulling out her trusty iron pipe.

"Prince, I thought you were different," she sighed, seemingly disappointed in the nature of teenage boys in general. "But now I see that you're a filthy pervert, taking advantage of the situation!" she snarled, ready to bash his head in.

"W-wait, Uo!" shouted Tohru, waving her arms frantically. "I-it? s okay!"

"Aww...Tohru, you're too nice," exclaimed Uo. "You can't even realize this...this rat is taking advantage of you!" sputtered Uo indignantly. Raising her pipe above her head, mad gleam in her fiery eyes, she growled, "Stay still, scum. This will only hurt...a lot!" Kyo was giddy with glee. _Whoever thought the Yankee would be the one to get rid of the damn rat for me?_ However, his happiness was short-lived when Hana interrupted, "As much as I would love making him suffer, don't you think we should wait until he's back in his own body? That would make the torture much more pleasurable for us."

Uo paused and considered it. Lowering her weapon, she grinned, "All right Hana! Good thinking. Getting bruises on my poor Tohru would be really bad."

As Yuki breathed a small sigh of relief, they all turned to Megumi. Uo asked, "Well? Can you fix this?"

Without answering, he silently slipped back into his closet. A few moments later, he came back out, lugging a heavy book. Kneeling down on the floor, he gently opened the dusty old tome, taking care not to bend the leather-bound cover. It was falling apart--the spine couldn't cling to all of its loose pages. While they watched him silently skim through the contents, Tohru asked, "Um, Megumi-kun, to curse people, all you need to know is their name, right?" Seeing him nod, she continued, slightly encouraged. "Then why do you need this book?"

Staring at her intensely, Megumi murmured, "This is not a curse. The potion was a spell, of sorts. Unfortunately, it was an unplanned side effect. Those are dangerous, so we have to find a spell reversal." Satisfied with his explanation, he continued to read, looking for something that resembled a spell-reversal charm.

Hana nodded. "It is lucky that Megumi has already cursed your fanclub members," she said, looking at Yuki. "Therefore, if Megumi cannot find a spell-reversal by Monday, poor Tohru won't have to deal with all the commotion."

Kyo snorted, "You cursed all of them? Wouldn'be a little suspicious if half the girls in school were gone at the same time?"

Hana said, "We only cursed the most devoted members, mainly Makoto and her cronies. The four of them will...not be coming tomorrow."

The rest of them shuddered at the dark suggestion in Hana? s usually monotonous voice. Uo bent down to examine what Megumi was studying. "Hey kid, found anything yet?"

Looking up, Megumi said, "Here's a spell-reversal for common curses. I am checking if I have all the materials."

"Awesome! Hey Tohru, the kid found something!"

"Really?" asked Tohru excitedly, peering over Uo's shoulder. Everyone crowded around Megumi, staring at the complicated recipe.

Grabbing his book, he walked into his closet, waving at the others to follow before being swallowed by the darkness. Hesitantly, Tohru, Yuki, Uo, and Kyo strode into the darkness, Hana bringing up the rear. After the last person walked in, Hana slid the door shut, smothering them in the pure black velvet.

* * *

**_A/N:_** _**Yay! I updated! After...7 months? That's serious procrastination right there, people. I want to thank all my readers (who are also my reviews, right? Right?) who stuck with me for a while! I was considering deleting this fic, but I changed my mind when I thought of all the potentially embarrasing situations they could be put into! YAY! Stick with me for a little longer people, because from this chapter on, this is where things really start to get fun!**_

**__****Thanks to all my readers, reviewers, and friends who made my first year here at so awesomely awesome! -huggles- **

**_ja ne!_**

**_mimi-chan  
xxfirebubblesxx _**


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